The Transit Department strives to provide mobility alternatives to residents and visitors of the City of Laredo that reduces automobile dependency and that allows more people in areas of the city without increasing the demand for roads or parking facilities. The operation of El Metro’s Mines Road Circulator continues to provide an added mobility service and enhanced connectivity of the Mines Road area with several bus routes that are going to the Northside of the City of Laredo including Santa Maria, Springfield, and Del Mar / Casa Verde routes. The C1 Mines Circulator operates on weekdays from 7 am thru 7 pm.
Back in October 2019, the Laredo City Council voted unanimously to approve the purchase of two (2) Low-Floor Light Duty Buses in the amount of $244,881.92 (or $122,440.96 each) using best price alternative of a State Contract from Alliance Bus Sales in Lewisville Texas. The buses will replace repurposed El Lift aged vans (1999MY); the objective is to better the service and overall reliability of the Mines Road neighborhood circulator. In contrast to the older vans that only seat 10 passengers the new light-duty buses will have a seating capacity of twenty (20) passengers with two (2) ADA wheelchair stations. These two new low-floor units have arrived and are ready to be placed out on the circulator routes to further our mobility and connectivity in the Mines Road area.
Active transportation and pro-mobility leaders such as Council Member George Altgelt, and the Mass Transit Board representative to the MPO – Council Member Dr. Marte A. Martinez were instrumental in making this project a reality. “The use of public transportation by our citizens is a single most effective way to reduce our energy consumption and traffic congestion in our City,” said Council Member Dr. Marte A. Martinez.
For Route and C1 Circulator hours of operation please visit www.elmetrotransit.com or download El Metro’s App. El Metro’s Customer Service Office is located in the Laredo Transit Center, 1301 Farragut St., 1st-floor Lobby area. Phone number (956) 795-2280.
